Dollhouse
by Lunas-paradox
Summary: Elizabeth Midford had the 'perfect' family. She always thought it would remain the same. But the illusion was broken one day and she had to save herself from the fall.


_**Dollhouse**_

She saw the things that nobody else saw, like a dollhouse even if everything seemed perfect she could see the imperfections in it. She was from a perfect family, raised in a perfect environment from a young age. From a perfect mother, perfect father and perfect brother, she had it all. It was like a perfect doll house she used to play around when she was a young age. The perfect dollhouse was something her father had brought for her, for her 7th birthday. It was a beautiful house with a family of four dolls just like them. A perfect family. She remembers clearly her friend looking at it and complimenting her.

" _Lizzy-chan the dolls they look just like your family, so perfect."_

She hated the word 'perfect',

Could anyone blame her?

No. Because she saw the imperfections in the perfect. The disgusting, ugly, nauseous imperfections, things only she could see.

She hated her family,

Could anyone blame her?

No. Because she could see their disgusting mistakes hidden behind their plastic faces.

And she was one of them. A plastic doll, a perfect daughter and a perfect sister.

She smiled wide as she put on her doll face and posed with her brother perfectly, just like she was thought. Her parents also smiled, with the perfect doll face. Their family picture was beautiful. She hated it, disgusted by it. She had pushed it down as soon as her mother put it on her dressing. She never broke it though. Their house was a play stage and even one mistake could harm all of them. And as much she hated it she was a part of the perfect family act they kept up. It was ingrained in her mind from a young age. Till the date every night when she took a peek at the family picture, she wishes she could change. But she couldn't. For the 15 years of her disgusting life, she had lived in not even once she could break her routine. In a way, she guessed it was the price of living in such a family. For all the riches and fortunes she was given from such a young age. It was like a demon, a contact she could no longer escape from.

And as days passed she wondered if she really even wanted to escape from this?

Maybe she didn't. Or maybe she has just given up on changing. Why try to do the impossible?

She believed herself to be a realist.

She was dead anyway. She was a living corpse.

She felt nothing as she heard her 'friends' again praise her and her fortunes. She really didn't feel any annoyance or sadness. She mused silently, she was becoming more and more like days passed. And she really didn't hate it that much. She guesses after all her mundane life would continue for the rest of her life no matter where she went. It was always going to be like this. Oh, how wrong she was.

* * *

Ciel Phantomhive. The owner of Phantomhive cooperation and stores. Also known as the queen's watchdog in the higher society. And like a faithful dog, he had smelt it, the filthiness of her family that no one had seen until now. For the first time, she had felt something. When her father had informed her of that she had felt a kind of happiness flooding in her. Maybe it was happiness from someone finally seeing what she was always seeing or that her normal was finally changing and maybe she could finally change. Her father though was resolute as he instructed them harshly that they should stay under wraps, law down and not say one thing to him. She wanted to disobey him, for once in her life she wanted to disobey. But she couldn't. After 15 years of being obedient, she could no longer gather the courage to disobey. He was absolute in their family.

She shut her mouth and continued her routine of going to her school and coming back home and doing her schoolwork while maintaining the perfect doll. He had not even approached her for a long time. Well, she was youngest he must have thought she had no idea what was going on. Oh, how wrong could he be? The most harmful for their family was her, she knew everything, and she was ready to tell everything if only someone gave her the courage. But it seems no one suspected her and so she continued her routine while ignoring everything going in her family, ignoring the smell of cannabis from her brother's room, ignored the voices filled with fury, screaming in the kitchen. She ignored all of them.

He approached her at least 8 months later from the start of his apparent investigation. It was in her school and she was truly surprised when he came up to her in her school uniform. She had no idea he was in her school, according to his ribbon colour he was in a higher grade than hers. But he looked the same age as hers. She guessed he must have lots of baby fat. Well, she didn't know any of the people in her school so really it was not a surprise she had no idea who he was, but she should have been more aware of her surroundings since everyone seemed to give him a knowing look as he called her out. The girls blushing and looking surprised as he talked to her.

She smiled pleasantly as she greeted him addressing him as a senior. He nodded at her and smiled back, and she noticed immediately his smile was plastic just like her. And that made her slightly relieved she is more comfortable with fake people rather than real ones. She couldn't read the motives of the real ones. He then proceeded to ask her out for coffee. A simple date. But she understood his tactic, he had asked her out in front of everyone, so she couldn't reject him or make any excuses, that would go against everything she was thought of. He has been studying her. Well, it was okay she would play along with him. She agreed to the date. Everyone around her made various kinds of noises, she just smiled, and he did too. They were now dancing a dance they both were quite familiar with. But only one was aware of the acting.

She had to inform her parents about it but some sweet lies and reassurances of her loyalty had pacified them. Coming this Saturday, she got ready in one of her cutest dresses and spent quite a time to dress herself up. Normally she did only the bare minimum but today was important for her, today would be the first day she could change so, she put more effort. Her mother gave her a different kind of look as she said her goodbyes, but she ignored her. The woman intuition might be saying all kinds of things but for her, it was none of that. For her, this was interesting, exciting, and special kind of event which would happen only once in her whole life. She wanted to savour it.

The day had been beautiful as she arrived at the coffee shop, he was already there and waiting for her. He immediately noticed her and gave her a gentleman smile as he greeted her and pulled the chair for her. He at least had all the necessary mannerisms and was executing them perfectly, and if this was any other girl she would already start falling head over heels for him, not Lizzy though. For her, this was still exciting. They talked about mundane things in the starting from personal information exchange to their school's stuff never bringing her family issues up. But she knew it was just his way to get her comfortable. She didn't mind it was quite unique to play this kind of game. She thoroughly enjoyed it. He then moved to ask her soft questions about her family like what her father did and all. The information he mostly already had but he feigned innocence. Just like she had thought he mostly thought she had no idea about her family. Oh, this was truly entertaining, she couldn't wait to see his face when he would realise she was the link he was searching for all along. That she was the one he was supposed to come for from the starting. But it was ok, better late than, never right?

She answered him perfectly with no errors feigning innocence too. And then he brought up one of the most known issues, about her brother being a drug addict, marking it off as rumours in school. He acted well as he faked concern and curiosity. She quite liked him. She faked sadness too and helplessness as she made of show of opening to him. She told him in a quiet and depressed voice about how he smoked cannabis and other stuff in his room and no matter how much she tried he didn't seem to listen to anything and day by day he was getting worse. And she was really worried about him. He put a hand on her hand and expressed fake regret she thanked him like a shrill high schooler, just like the girls she had seen around him. After that, they eat sweets and talked about more things as he gave basic suggestions to 'help' her brother. He never brought anything else up. He must be trying to slowly gain her affections and make her his spy. Well, that would be normally alright with her but more two meetings with him and her father won't take it. As must as she loves this development she can't get on her father's bad side.

But right now, she couldn't say anything it would break the whole illusion of theirs. And she would hate that too. So, she worked her plan. Next meeting was going to be truly fun and entertaining. She let him pay for them and then said her loving goodbyes, even going bold as she kissed on his cheek. He blushed slightly and that made her think he was cute. Later she started was texting him and calling him, feigning affection for him purposefully in front of her father. Her father was slowly getting angry and 3 days later he asked for an explanation. She said she was trying to get on his good side and get him to love her, so she could manipulate him. That pacified him, but her mother was giving her that look again, and she wanted to scoff at her. Why couldn't her woman's intuition not work for once, but it was ok it was going to work in her favour this time. Some days later she purposefully left their chat open in front of her brother as he made a show of attending a call of a worried friend. All pre-arranged. As she knew him with his high, looked through her chat and growled getting angry as he ran to their parents. She chuckled silently. It felt so good to see her plan going so well. All the pieces were falling so perfectly in place that it made her shudder in excitement. She could hear shouting start as her father got livid and her brother screams vengeance against her. Her mother though not shouting tried to pacify them. But just when they came storming out she cut the call and whispered in the dead receiver.

"Ciel I think they know. I am sorry it's all my fault. I was careless." In a scared voice and that was last stop. Next, hell broke into her family, as her father slapped her, and she fell. He brother kicked at her as he shouted, and her father did too. Her mother just looked, glaring slightly and looking disappointed. She made a show of crying and apologising. Well, it did really hurt as she cried but in reality, her heart was soaring. She then made a show of getting up and getting angry screaming at them that they didn't understand her and stuff like that. A typical stupid woman in love stuff. And when her father slapped her again. She glared at them and ran away screaming she would never return. She hailed a cab and went to his place.

He was truly shocked when he saw her at his place, obvious bruises and crying. He immediately ushered her in and asked his servants to prepare for her as he guided her to her study room. He was expressing fake worry, but she was so happy now that she could no longer care about their dance. So as soon as the door closed behind them she let her mask fall for the first time since she was born.

"They do not hurt so much don't worry. Well, they both were intoxicated so it is to be expected. But really that Edward I wish I can kick him too." She sarcastically growled out as she rubbed her stomach grumbling slightly. And his shock was truly hilarious that she started laughing almost falling. It was so fun. She was glad she had gone through with it.

"Oh my god. My act was so perfect even you could not see through it." She mocked him as she laughed more he was still reeling from the shock to react at her jab. His head butler had entered the room and looked thoroughly surprised at seeing them, her laughing and he just standing there in shock. She then sighed and decided to get to business as she flopped down on his plush sofa and pulled out her secret phone from her bra. He was blushing red and Sebastian was sweat dropping as he saw how crass she was when she let her hair down. She opened the fake chat she had shown Edward and gave it to him.

"What is this? We never chatted all this." He frowned as he read the chats. She smirked like a cat,

"I know, that chat is between me and my other fake number." He sweats dropped.

"How much of this did you plan?" he asked exasperatedly, and her smirk widened.

"Everything."

"Everything?" he asked slightly surprised and curious.

"Yes. I was tired of playing perfectly with my disgusting family so when I heard about you I decided if you ask me I'll tell you everything. But playing along with your obvious plan was so fun so I did that the last meeting but then you obviously were going to drag it out and I can't risk that since father would be very annoying, so I decided to speed things up. Fake chat, convenient phone call, brother high, careless mistake and one obvious lie. Everything falls perfect," She laughed hysterically. "Oh my god, you should have seen their faces as they confronted me. Hahaha! Those fools." She was doubling up and the other two just stared at her as they understood what exactly had happened in the whole night.

Ciel felt slightly relieved and proud of the girl in front of him. He had thought her as just a dainty slower head. But it seems even he was fooled. He sat down opposite of her and motioned Sebastian to bring them tea and leave the first aid kit.

"Well, I must praise you for the well thought out plan. But I think risking beating was a bit too much." He commented as he silently motioned her to show her wounds to him as he moved to treat them.

She pouted but moved, "I had to or else I would be truly marked as betraying my family and in court, I can show bruises as the mark of abuse." She smirked, not at feeling guilty for framing her family.

"I see that is indeed a good plan," he said, and she smiled he was truly like her, "But it is only going to work if you are really innocent." He said lacing his words with unsaid threat and she knew exactly what he meant.

"If you are thinking if I had a hand in any of family sins then my answer is no. My only job in that 'family' was being the beautiful, innocent flower everyone loves." She said scoffing as she recalled how her parents forced her to attend all kinds of parties as a forefront of their innocence. He frowned slightly as he heard her.

"Does this mean you knew everything?"

"Yes, I told you so. I know everything. All the backhand deals, all the corruption, all the bounces and fraud everything."

"Did they trust you that much?" he asked genuinely surprised. If that was the case how could they let her come here without storming in his house and dragging her back? She scoffed again

"Trust? As if," She growled. "There was no trust. I was told nothing from their mouth. I know things because I found them from using different methods. If I didn't I would not be able to save myself when they were going to fall."

"Oh,"

"And as blackmail material, if things ever went south."

SO, they didn't know she had all this knowledge, shit he went wrong with his plan he should have found her first. He could have saved so much time. As he frowned deeply grumbling slightly she giggled.

"Regretting underestimating me?" She asked proudly. And he pouted.

"Yes, I do. I have wasted 8 months when I had the answer right in front of me, literally." She giggled.

"Well, it can't be helped. My acting is perfect after all." She said it proudly, but her voice dipped down slightly as she said the word 'perfect'. He nodded and then moved back, crossing his legs he joint his hands together. He was going to make a deal. They are going to talk business now. She moved back too and crossed her legs, putting her hands delicately on her knee.

"The information you possess Miss Elizabeth is very valuable. And in exchange for it, I am ready to propose some terms."

She nodded, asking to continue.

"First, I shall provide you protection."

"In what way?"

"you were not involved directly in any of the endeavours but indirectly you played a hand too. Normally no one will bring it up or blame you, but prosecutors and reports can be quite nasty. They will probably create a big scandal out of it. You won't get any jail time but with no backing, your life will probably end."

She didn't let him intimidate her, she had already anticipated that.

"But with my backing. I will make sure you remain innocent both in court and in public."

She nodded, "That sounds good. More?"

"Next I will assist you with the company. Once everything is brought out. You going to most likely need an outer agent to bring it back to its legs. "

She nodded again at that, "Yes by the time I am done paying all the debts and suing money. I probably will lose all my assets and the company assets."

He nodded too, "Yes and at that time I will help you. If you didn't know I am quite good at business and as such I will help you bring it up by helping you directly or whoever you decide to hand the company over to."

She smiled wryly at that. The company going to her, she had thought about it but to think it was now real was still a hard pill to swallow. She also trusted his business instincts, as soon as this whole affair had started she had found everything about him. At age 10 he had lost his parents to a mysterious incident with him being the sole survivor. At age 13 he handled all the business from the back while keeping a man in front. And at age of 16, he alone made his company one of the biggest conglomerates in Britain. It was no small feat and she respected him for that.

"That will be wonderful. Anything else?"

"And lastly, I will provide you support in your personal life."

Her eyes widen, and she looked at him questioningly.

"As much as I know from my investigation. Except you, your whole family has a hand in everything as such all of them will be put in jail. You will essentially become an orphan and probably with no allies. As such I will help you in any way I can like taking care of your house, assets, and getting back up."

She was genuinely surprised. "Why?" She had to ask with just the two conditions above she would have given him the information, he should know that too. Yet he added another and that too something which would be more annoying for him than profitable. And it was not even necessary for him to do.

"I find you quite interesting and I would hate seeing such potential going to waste." He answered honestly.

For the first time she blushed, for the first time, someone had complimented her on something other than her physical looks and her family. She felt a bit happy, the kind of happy she had long forgotten about.

"I see. I understand. I will make a deal with you Ciel." She looked confident as she answered him. She had finally rebelled against her family, against her father.

He put out his hand and she moved to shake it feeling happy and proud of herself. She didn't imagine now that this partnership of theirs will last for her whole life.

And then she brought out the truth, accessing her online drive she brought all the evidence she had been gathering for all her life. In those hefty papers lay all the truth, all the imperfections of her perfect family. She didn't feel regret or guilt when Ciel started examining them and making calls for their arrest. But somewhere she as a bit sad, she wished her family could have been different. She had stayed the night at his place as her going back home was too dangerous. As she looked at him while drinking the perfectly brewed tea she wondered if he found her pitiful or hateful. He had lost all his family in a freak assault he must miss them even now. But she had betrayed them, pushed them into hell while saving her own skin. She wondered why she cared so much about his image of her.

But she had no time to think about that all as the next day the hell had started. It was like a storm for the next one year she had done a lot of things from court issues to handling the press and the company many things had happened. Too many things that sometimes she felt she like she wanted to just break down and scream. But she didn't. She remained strong and went through it all. And through it all Ciel had been beside her helping her at every step in every way. She was grateful for him for more than one reason.

But the thing didn't end there. Her father had committed suicide as soon as the verdict was announced. And as she stood in front of his coffin. She felt for the first time as if she was defective she felt nothing at his death, only pity, no tears ran from her eyes. As she heard all kinds of whispers around her she ignored them. She ignored her screaming mother and frozen brother. She walked out as if she was walking out of the mess her father had created for them for his whole life. Outside stood Ciel in the absolute black with his black butler and somehow, she felt relief flooding in her. He offered her his hand and she took it with not even a spec of doubt and made her decisions.

The company was given up to the Phantomhive with all its employs being mostly re-employed by Ciel. She demolished her disgusting house and donated the property to some charity. She sold all her parents jewellery and gave the money to charity. She sold all the things her father had got from his sins and gave to charities to make the money into a blessing. She only took what was hers and kept the assets necessary for her living. She got out of the public view and decided to shift to focus on her studies and take up fashion designing in her future. She had always loved dressing up her dolls.

Years later she becomes Elizabeth Phantomhive. Finally letting go of the last of her father's legacy from her roots.

She never visited her family in jail. And after they got out she just sent them anonymously the funds her father had named for them. She was sure they knew it was her though.

She raised her children in the kind of family she always longed for.

And the secrets that ran in her new home were whispered honestly in the dark halls.

* * *

 **A/N- Ok I have no idea where this came from but I saw the Dollhouse amv on yt of Lizzy and well inspiration hit. I know all the Midford family are heavy oc. Especially Lizzy. But it was still so fun to write them like this. I wrote this just in 4 hours so I didnt put too much content and put it more of a storytelling format. I guess I wanted it to go in that way. But ya this is here.**

 **And I know Ciel is no longer 'Ciel' but for the sake of this fic lets just ignore it. And ya for funs sake I out a lot of BB's references. As for this, it's not set in the victorian era. I set it in the mordern era. And ya the end if OcielxLizzy ending with a slightly refrence to 2ct. But her reaction is very different from the manga reaction *spoilers*. Well, she is a very different person in this after all.**

 **Like always. If you liked it review and favourite.**

 **Xoxoxo, Luna.**


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